Company answer to CCC survey

VF
CORPORA
T
I
ON
SUBMI
SSI
ON
Clean Clothes Campaign Wage Survey
Response ID:52; Data
1. Login/Password Action
2. Introduction
1. Company name:
VF Corporation
2. Brands owned by company:
http://www.vfc.com/brands
3. Main contact person:
Name: : Anna Maria Rugarli
Email: : annamaria_rugarli@vfc.com
Contact phone number: : +41-91-649-1221
3. The living wage standard
4. 1.1 What is your company's position on payment of the living wage to workers in your supply
chain?
Please refer to VF Corporation Global Compliance Principles:
http://www.vfc.com/VF/corporation/resources/images/Content-Pages/Corporate-Responsibility/VFC-GlobalCompliance-Principles.pdf
Principle 4 – Wages and Benefits
VF recognizes that compensation packages vary by country. All VF Authorized Facilities must compensate their
employees fairly by providing compensation packages comprised of wages and benefits that, at the very
least, comply with legally mandated minimum standards or the prevailing industry wage, whichever is higher,
and shall provide legally mandated benefits (...).
5. 1.2 Please give the link to the code of conduct which is used when monitoring conditions in your
supplier factories. If it isn't publicly available, please upload a copy using the option below.
http://www.vfc.com/VF/corporation/resources/images/Content-Pages/Corporate-Responsibility/VFC-GlobalCompliance-Principles.pdf
Upload option.
6. 1.3 Does your company agree with the definition of a living wage as given here?
No, our definition differs from the definition given.
If no, please provide details of how your definition of a living wage is different and give
justification.
Please find below VF’s position on Wages and Benefits:
Principle 4 – Wages and Benefits
VF recognizes that compensation packages vary by country. All VF Authorized Facilities must compensate their
employees fairly by providing compensation packages comprised of wages and benefits that, at the very
least, comply with legally mandated minimum standards or the prevailing industry wage, whichever is higher,
and shall provide legally mandated benefits. Employees must be fully compensated for overtime according to
local law and each employee must be provided with a clear, written accounting for each pay period.
4. Respect for freedom of association and collective bargaining, a precondition for a living wage
7. 2.1 How has the right to Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining been clearly
communicated to workers in your supplier factories and subcontractors?
In order to inform workers on their right to Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining, VF Corporation
provides every factory with an explanatory poster (50x70cm) which is translated into the languages of the
workers’ nationalities and displayed on the bulletin board.
Percentage of supplier factories and subcontractors reached by these measures:
100%
Please supply an example of materials used:
8. 2.2 Do you support or facilitate training for workers to ensure they are aware of their right to
freely associate, in conjunction with local independent trade unions or workers' rights
organisations? Please supply details:
Out of VF’s portfolio of brands, Timberland is the one that has looked into these topics in further details.
Timberland has, when needed (e.g. where possible violations seemed evident), worked with trade unions and
workers rights organizations to provide worker training on FoA. In the past five years Timberland has engaged
with SAI, Verite, Workers Rights Consortium and DAI/CIMCAW regarding FoA training
Names of local unions or workers rights organisations: : SAI, Verite, Workers Rights Consortium, DAI/CIMCAW
Percentage of supplier factories reached by these measures: : %
9. 2.3 Do you provide training for management of your supplier factories and subcontractors on the
right to freedom of association?
Timberland’ Supplier Sustainability Team does assess the needs of supplier managements’ understanding of
FoA and if needed, provide training. Timberland has included the topic in multi-supplier training workshops that
it organizes for its suppliers.
Percentage of supplier factories and subcontractors reached by these measures:
10. 2.4 Have your supplier factories and subcontractors issued the Right to Organise Guarantee to
workers in any of your production units?
Country: Number of suppliers: Details:
1:
2:
3:
4.
Please provide a sample of materials used in specific countries:
11. 2.5 Do you require supplier factories and subcontractors to sign Union Access Agreements? If
yes, please supply details.
No
Number of supplier factories with agreements:
Please provide a sample of agreements signed:
12. 2.6 Does your company have an accessible, actionable and safe means by which workers can
file and follow up on complaints about violations of freedom of association and collective
bargaining rights? How do you monitor that this can be accessed freely by workers?:
No
13. 2.7 Have you done any work to limit the use of short term contracts in your supplier factories
and subcontractors?
Please provide details of your policy and its impacts in relevant countries: : No
How has any of this work impacted on workers ability to receive seniority bonuses?: : No
14. 2.8 Is there anything else you would like to tell us about work you have done so far, or work you
are planning, to promote the right to freedom of association in your supply chain?
No
5. Dialogue and negotiation with labour rights organisations
15. 3.1 Please provide details of any active collaborative work undertaken with independent trade
unions or labour rights organisations in your sourcing countries:
N/A
16. 3.2 Have any of your collaborations resulted in unions or bargaining processes starting within
your supplier factories?
N/A
6. 4. Benchmarks for a minimum living wage
17. 4.1 Does your company have internal figures that it uses to benchmark living wages for each
sourcing country or region?
Yes
If yes, please provide details of how these were developed and how they are used:
VF collects this data through audits and uses it for internal benchmarking purposes.
Currently VF Corporation is carrying out a benchmarking exercise using the SAI living wage model however
we’re not in a position to disclose these data publicly.
18. 4.2 Please provide information about the figures you are using to benchmark a living wage in
your 3 main production countries or regions.
Country/region
1.
2.
3.
Living wage benchmark
19. 4.3 Please give details of the number of your supplier factories in Asia that are currently paying
the Asia Floor Wage.
Country/region
Number of supplier factories paying Asia Floor Wage
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
7. Purchasing practices that make living wages possible
20. 5.1 Is your company doing work to limit the use of subcontractors in your supply chain and/or
consolidate your supplier factory list? Please provide details:
Please refer to VF Corporate Global Compliance Principles
Principle 11 – Subcontracting
VF Authorized Facilities will not utilize subcontractors in the manufacturing of VF products or components
without VF’s written approval and only after the subcontractor has agreed to comply with the Terms of
Engagement, including these Global Compliance Principles.
http://www.vfc.com/VF/corporation/resources/images/Content-Pages/Corporate-Responsibility/VFC-Terms-OfEngagement.pdf
http://www.vfc.com/VF/corporation/resources/images/Content-Pages/Corporate-Responsibility/VFC-GlobalCompliance-Principles.pdf
VF is currently revising its supplier base in order to consolidate production.
21. 5.2 Does your company operate a policy of buyers favouring supplier factories that consistently
meet a high wage standard? How?
N/A
22.
23. 5.3 Does your company break down and calculate whether FOB prices per piece are sufficient to
allow for compliance with the wage standard your company has set out in its code of conduct?
No
24. 5.4 Does your company operate a policy of buyers favouring supplier factories that support the
establishment and functioning of genuine trade unions, and those with collective bargaining
agreements?
No
25. 5.5 Please provide information about any other work your company has done / is planning to do
on improving your purchasing practices, in relation to wages.
N/A
8. Living wage projects
26. Please provide details of any projects here. Please note you can cut and paste long pieces of
text into these small boxes if necessary:
Project 1
Project 2
Project 3
Project 4
Location:
Number of factories and workers involved:
Living wage benchmark used:
Partnerships:
Wage increase achieved:
Details of process:
27. Please upload any useful supporting documentation here:
9. New Page
28. 7.1 Have you publicly supported calls from civil society and unions to increase the minimum
wage to a living wage standard in your production countries? Have you made this position clear
towards governments and employers associations?
No
29. 7.2 As part of this work, have you issued a public statement assuring country governments that
you will not relocate production as a result of minimum wage legislation that ensures a living
wage?
No
10. Transparency
30. 8.1 Does your company publish a full public list of supplier factories, and sub contractors, their
locations and products?
VF Corporation doesn’t disclose this information as it is viewed to be commercially sensitive. However
Timberland publishes its full factory list on their website and updates it quarterly as it made this commitment
before VF acquired it. Please see Timberland’s latest suppliers list here below:
http://responsibility.timberland.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Q3_2012_factory_list.pdf
Do you have plans to publish a full list in the future?
No
31. 8.2 Does your company publish impact reports on projects related to wages?
No
11. Collaborative working
32. 9.1 Please provide details of your involvement with any multi-stakeholder initiative projects
working to improve wages:
N/A
33. 9.2 Please provide details of any work you have initiated outside an MSI, directly with other
companies which has improved wages:
N/A
34. Supporting documents:
12. 10. A clear route map for implementing a living wage for all workers
35. 10.1 Has your company developed a strategy for delivering a living wage in your supply chain?
Is this a public commitment?
N/A
36. 10.2 Does this strategy have a time scale? If yes, please state.
N/A
37. 10.3 What consultation have you carried out on this strategy, both within and outside your
company?
N/A
38. 10.4 How will you ensure that vulnerable workers, such as homeworkers or migrant workers are
also included in efforts to increase wages?
N/A
39. 10.5 Is there anything else you would like to tell us about your work on the living wage that
hasn't been covered in this survey?
Timberland has engaged in several projects to help promote Sustainable Living Environments. We have seen
that it is indeed possible to leverage Timberland’s business influence to help create positive improvements for
the lives of workers who produce our products. These projects have also helped to demonstrate that a living
wage is not necessarily the best indicator of whether basic needs are being met.
Ensuring workers are paid a wage that at least allows them to meet basic needs is a complex subject,
especially given the local economies in which they live. Timberland upholds all minimum wages in countries
where we operate, but we also recognize that minimum wage in many places is not sufficient to meet workers’
basic needs or opportunities for betterment. We also believe that higher wages alone do not necessarily
create improved living conditions. It is within this context that we have defined our approach to support and
facilitate sustainable living by addressing the environment (societal infrastructure) that workers live within
rather than focus on wages alone.
While we recognize that in some countries or regions the legal minimum wage is insufficient to support
sustainable living, what we don’t know is whether simply raising wages for workers will ensure that their basic
needs are met. What if the issue involves more complex questions, such as the cost and accessibility of basic
human services like health care or education? In our experience, we have seen these specific limitations in the
real world, from monopolistic control of basic foodstuffs in developing economies, causing food prices to be
artificially high, to lack of access to kindergarten or affordable and accessible health care. These are real-life
examples of problems that are simply not addressed by raising a worker’s wage rate.
Timberland released the ‘Responsibility Beyond Factory Walls: Engaging Factory Workers & Strengthening
Communities’ report in 2009 that, amongst other social compliance topics, focuses on the issue of living wage.
For further details please go to and refer to Section II on ‘Sustainable Living Environments’:
http://www.timberland.com/graphics/media/tbl/BeyondFactoryWalls2009.pdf
13. Further questions about your supply base
40. 1. What are your main production countries? Please state percentage of total production per
country and the number of supplier factories.
Country
Percentage of production
Number of suppliers
1
Bangladesh
4,48%
103
2
China
25,61%
589
3
India
7,22%
166
4
Mexico
3,65%
84
5
Pakistan
1,78%
41
6
Turkey
2,17%
50
7
USA
21,09%
485
8
Vietnam
5,04%
116
9
10
41. 2. What kind of trade partners are part of the sourcing structure? Please indicate an
approximate % of volume share of your production:
Production at factories owned by your company: : 25-30%
Orders placed directly to supplier factories: : 26%
Orders placed through agencies or intermediates: : 74%
Other: : %
42. If other, please specify.
Agents and licensees
43. 3. What is the length of time that you have been working with your current suppliers?
% of suppliers
More than 5 years:
5%
2-5 years:
45%
Less than 2 years:
50%
44. 4. How many sites did you use to produce your goods in 2012?
First tier suppliers: : altogether 2300 including T1 and subcontractors
45. 5. How many supplier factories do you trade with where you have a regular production share of
more than 25%?
Number of suppliers: : N/A
Response Location
Country:
United States
Region:
NC
City:
Greensboro
Postal Code:
27408
Long & Lat:
Lat: 36.1059, Long:-79.816498
Profile: VF Corporation
Brands: 7 For All Mankind, Ella Moss, Bulwark, Lee, Rustler, Magestic, Nautica, JanSport,
Wrangler, Eagle Creek, The North Face, SmartWool, Riders, Reef, Kipling, Red Kap, Horace
Small, Splendid, Timberland, lucy, Napapijri, Eastpak, Vans
Company position on the living wage:
“All VF Authorized Facilities must compensate their employees fairly by providing compensation
packages comprised of wages and benefits that, at the very least, comply with legally mandated
minimum standards or the prevailing industry wage, whichever is higher, and shall provide legally
mandated benefits”. To ensure that compliance is on-going, each location must undergo a
thorough on-site audit process on a regular basis to make sure that working conditions in the
factories meet VF code of conduct and that workers have the right to freely associated or bargain
collectively.
What we say:
VF doesn't recognise the principle of a living wage as part of their responsibility or policy. Company
engagement in local education and health projects is all very well, but does not solve the problem
of poverty. It is embarrassing that a company this size is not engaging in this important issue.
VF is currently undertaking a review to verify wage levels against Social Accountability
International (SAI) SA8000 standard on the basic-need wage. The SA8000 is one of the world’s
first auditable social certification standards for workplaces and takes into consideration different
basic needs, such as food, clean water, clothes, shelter, transport, education and a discretionary
income. Our initial review process in sample factories in the regions where we have facilities has
provided some positive indications, and we will continue to expand the scope of these reviews and
take the necessary measures. We are choosing to not disclose this data publically until all research
is complete. Once more information is gathered and we have drawn our conclusions and
developed a program we will release more information.
In more detail:
Has living wage benchmarks? No.
Currently VF Corporation is carrying out a benchmarking exercise using the SA8000 Basic needs
wage model.
Worker empowerment:
VF Corporation ensures that a poster explaining the right to Freedom of Association and Collective
Bargaining is displayed in all their factories.
Some reactive training for suppliers with FOA violations was mentioned.
Commitment and practices:
VF Corporation does not support the principle of a living wage in their policy have no living wage
benchmarks aside from the minimum wage and basic need wage.
Currently VF Corporation is carrying out a benchmarking exercise using the SAI 8000 Basic needs
wage model (see above).
Collaborative approach:
No information was given on any work in this area.
VF is working in collaboration with other brands and various NGO's, government representatives,
industry associations, and trade unions to address a variety of issues related to social compliance.
Strategy:
VF Corporation say: “We... believe that higher wages alone do not necessarily create improved
living conditions. It is within this context that we have defined our approach to support and facilitate
sustainable living by addressing the environment (societal infrastructure) that workers live within
rather than focus on wages alone. While we recognize that in some countries or regions the legal
minimum wage is insufficient to support sustainable living, what we don’t know is whether simply
raising wages for workers will ensure that their basic needs are met. What if the issue involves
more complex questions, such as the cost and accessibility of basic human services like health
care or education?” As a result of this position, VF is working with some local and international
partners on financial literacy courses for workers, childcare, education, and clean water projects.
VF Corporation has no strategy for delivering a living wage to workers who make their products.
VF believes in a collaborative approach to defining living wage and so we are a member of the Fair
Labour Association (FLA). This organization is a collaborative effort of socially responsible
companies, colleges and universities, and civil society organizations.
Production overview:
Number of suppliers: 1830 suppliers, both first tier and subcontractors.
Main production countries listed as: China 26%, USA 21%, India 7%, Vietnam 5%, Bangladesh
4%, Mexico 4%, Turkey 2%, Pakistan 2%, Other 29%
Timberland publishes a public list of where its supplier factories are based. The rest of the VF
brands do not publish a list.
Comments:
VF Corporation state in their submission that they recognise the minimum wage is not enough to
cover workers basic needs, yet they are failing to take any action to increase wages to solve this.
VF acknowledges the problem of sustainable living but questions the idea that a raise in wage
levels would be directly reflected in improved living conditions and in ensuring that workers’ basic
needs are met.
The VF policy requires payment of the minimum wage only, with no reference to a need for wages
to meet basic needs (see below) – this falls some way behind even the most basic policy
commitments that other companies featured in this report have taken.
VF wage policies require that workers are compensated fairly and VF is currently undertaking a
review to verify wage levels against Social Accountability International (SAI) SA8000 standards on
the basic-need wage. The SA8000 is one of the world’s first auditable social certification standards
for workplaces and takes into consideration different basic needs, such as food, clean water,
clothes, shelter, transport, education and a discretionary income. SA8000 is based on several
existing human rights standards, including the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the UN
Convention on the Rights of the Child and the ILO Conventions.
The initial review process in sample factories in the regions where VF has facilities has provided
some positive indications, and VF will continue to expand the scope of these reviews and take the
necessary measures.
Rather, VF (or Timberland only – no evidence was given of any other VF brand engagement) have
invested effort in a programme to provide 'sustainable living environments' for some of their
workers. This involves some projects to work on clean water provision and education for workers
and their children, and healthcare.
To this we say that VF are getting confused as to their responsibility and role in the supply chain. It
is not the responsibility of companies to provide schools and healthcare for workers, although if
they want to contribute to charity to help struggling Asian communities, that is their choice. It is the
primary responsibility of a brand however to ensure that the wage that is paid to the people who
make their products is enough to cover basic needs.
For us, meeting basic needs is about giving people who work the liberty to choose the way those
needs are met. This is done through an income that is sufficient to allow this to happen. By trying
to manage the way needs are met, this liberty is removed.
VF has chosen a solid standard (SA8000) to assess this issue and is verifying wage levels against
SA8000 standard on basic need wage which takes into consideration different basic needs, such
as food, clean water, clothes, shelter, transport, education and a discretionary income, defined by
the standard itself.
We would hope to see VF engage in work to acknowledge the need for a living wage, and their role
in this process, in the future.